Timbered building structure



0C*- 21, 1969 c. J. sTRAxGH-r TIMBERED BUILDING' STRUCTURE Filed April18, 1967 "EVTR ma 1f. freq/H7 fn/ml- Unite lU.S. Ci. 52-233 2 ClaimsABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A timbered building structure having a joiuderarrangement for right angularly disposed timber walls wherein one wallis joined at its end edge, between the ends of a lateral wall by meansof T-shaped tongue structure interiitting into a mating substantiallyidentically shaped groove provided in the lateral wall.

Background It is known to construct timbered building structures inwhich the walls are formed of milled or machined elongate timbers thatsimulate logs. It is also known to form such walls in which there is anintert between superposed timbers involving a tongue on one number and agroove on the next adjacent member, either above or below, to provide atight draft-free wall. It is also known to form joining or jointingarrangements between such walls in which there is interlocking in theperpendicularly disposed joints that are formed by arranging one Wall ina right angular relationship to another wall. It has been customary inproviding such jointing arrangements to simulate and substantiallyduplicate the handmade crossed-log joints of the pioneer cabins of theyears gone by. In such an arrangement the ends of the individual membersof one wall are interposed between the ends or at least between theedges of the individual members of the abutting wall. Portions of thetwo cross and extend in both right angular directions from the joint.Typical of such arrangements are those shown in the Jensen Patent2,712,678, and the Erland et al. Patent 2,588,814. A primary ditiicultywith such crossed timber joints is concerned with the milling andmachining operations necessary to form such joints. Invariably such0perations not only require complicated machinery and rather exoticcutting tools but they also do not lend themselves well to straight-lineproduction methods desirable in working wood.

Also it has been found that in the erection of prior units the use ofspikes, bolts, pegs, drift-pins, and the like, have been necessary tomaintain the joints tight and stable.

A main object of this invention is to provide dimensional timbers ofimproved design and construction, and to provide certain of them withend tongues and others of them with transverse grooves which intertreadily and form, in the erection of a timbered structure, attractiveand strong joints in an economical and tightly sealed manner for theproduction of homes, cottages, cabins, and like timbered structures.

It has been further customary in providing the timbers for the erectionof timbered structures to employ solid wooden elements cut from a singletree. Such timbers have normally been cut and manufactured fromrelatively small logs. As a result they are often cut from heart woodand therefore are subject to dimensional changes, checking, splitting,warping, and other distortional action which, when assembled in abuilding, tend to rack the walls in an undesirable manner. Recentlydeveloped mill techniques and improvements in the as- States arent O ICCsembly of smaller pieces of lumber into larger boards have resulted inthe production of dimensional timbers formed of several laminae, atleast three in number. A core and two faces are brought intoface-to-face relationship with interposed waterproof glue lines betweenthe pieces bonding the assembly into a unitary and elongated element.Employing pieces of like width, by offsetting the intermediate lamina,it is possible with a threelayered timber to provide a tongue on oneedge and a groove on the opposite edge. Subsequent milling operationsinvolving planing and shaping permit the outer of the assembled laminaeto be smoothed and the chamferred or curved to impart a roundedappearance, somewhat log-like. It has been found that such laminatedtimbers have an improved stability over solid wood timber and by reasonof the fact that they are normally manufactured from small pieces ofrelatively high grade lumber, they may be machined to provide crossgrooves between their ends or tongues of a T-shaped at their ends whichare strong, dimensionally stable and easily assembled by interiittingoperations.

It is an important object of this invention to provide a jointingarrangement involving T-shaped tongues and similarly shaped grooves toreceive the tongues to form right angular joints between contiguouswalls of a building.

Description of the invention For the purposes of illustrating theinvention, a preerred embodiment is shown in the accompanying drawingdisclosing the design of a jointing arrangement for timbered buildingstructures according to the instant invention. It will be apparent tothose skilled in the art that changes and alterations may be madewherein there is an equivalency in shape and structure and function.

In the drawing:

FIGURE l is an isometric perspective view of a corner of a buildingshowing a joint constructed of prefabricated timbers shaped andassembled in accordance with this invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a cross groove provided in atimber for one wall and forming an important part of this improvedjointing arrangement; and

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged perspective view of an end of another joiningtimber showing the T-shaped tongue which is employed to provide thisimproved jointing arrangement.

Throughout the drawings like reference characters denote correspondingparts. Referring to FIGURE 2, timber Iii is shown composed of a mediallaminae l2 at opposite faces of which is adhesively secured face laminae14 and I6. The medial laminae is the same width as and arranged inoffset relationship with respect to the facing laminae 14 and i6. At theupper edge, as shown in FIGURE 2, there is thus provided a tougue 18 andon the opposite edge a groove 20. The outer corners at the upper andlower edges of the face laminae 14 and 16 are machined or milled intorounded contour at 22. Or they may be chamferred as otherwise may bedesired.

By reason of the manufacturing techniques for production of timber suchas 10 it is possible that the medial laminae 12 or the facing laminae 14and 16 may be composed lengthwise of several pieces of wood all bondedtogether at the interfaces 24 and 26 by waterproof glue lines as shownin FIGURE 3. Individual laminae may be composed of several piecesend-joined as by splines or fingers 25.

Subsequent to their production, timbers 10 are crossrnilled orcross-grooved by being caused to move lateral of their longitudinaldimensions to form the T-shaped groove 3i) shown in FIGURE 2. Such agroove comprises back or bottom wall 31, end walls 32 facing each other,and inwardly and opposedly directed tongues 33, 33 to thus form arestricted throat giving access to the groove defined by walls 31, 32,32. The outer edge of the throat along the inside face laminae 16 isrelieved by rabbets 34, 34 for a purpose later to be described. Rabbets34, 34 extend between the substantially fiat upper and lower edges oflamina 16,

It will be noted that the T-head of groove 30 is formed in one side ofthe intermediate lamina 12. Its location with respect to the thicknessof the lamina is toward the throat and in the glue line at the facinglamina 16. This insures that there is maximum strength in the timberopposite the groove throat, such comprising a full lamina 14 and a majorportion of medial lamina 12.

Referring to FIG. 3, the timber 40 has an intermediate or medial lamina42 and opposed facing laminae 44 and 46, all assembled and adhesivelyjoined at the interfaces 48 and 50 as has been described. By across-milling operation timber 40 is provided with oppoosed grooves 52and 54 inward of the end of the timber, thus forming a T-shaped tongueor head at the end of timber 40. Stated another way, the tongue has anintermediate neck of reduced cross section and flanges on opposite edgesof the timber outward of the reduced neck form an er1- larged T-headwhich is dimensioned to t into groove 40 of timber 10. The thickness oftimber 40 between the bottoms of the grooves 52 and 54 is slightly lessthan the dimensions of the throat in timber 1i) between the flanges 33,33. Likewise the T-head is slightly smaller than the groove 30.

A timber 10 and a timber 40 are simply assembled. By aligning theT-shaped tongue of timber 40 with groove 30 of timber 1t) and moving thetwo relative to each other an appropriate interfit and interlock isquickly produced. Desirably the tongue 41 'of a lower course and thelower groove 26 of timber 10 of an upper course are then disposed in theassembly in the same plane as the like tongues 41 and the lower grooves2t) of timbers 10 of a transverse wall. In this arrangement the partinglines between the superposed timbers of one wall 60 as in FIGURE l alignwith the parting lines between the superposed timbers of the lateralwall 62 as can be seen in the right angular corner of that isometricperspective view of FIGURE 1.

It may be assumed that the wall 60 of FIGURE 1 is an end wall of abuilding structure and wall 62 is Va side wall. An interior abuttingwall to subdivide the building may likewise be joined to either the endwall 60 or side wall 62, as for example by suitably located groove 31identical to groove 30.

When wall 60 and 62 are assembled as shown inner edges 53 of the grooves52 and 54 abut the faces of and interfit into the rabbets 34, 34 of maingroove 30 as shown in FIGURE 2. This arrangement increases the stabilityof the tongue-and-groove jointing arrangement and conceals the interiordetails of the joints. Also this arrangement further seals the joint byincreasing the surfaces between the members that are in contact. Thereis thus a very close intert between the right angularly larrangedtimbers which not only provides stability and is attractive but reducesthe likelihood of the movement of air or weather through the joint.

T o convey an impression and t facilitate understanding of the sizes ofthe timbers and 14 certain dimensions are hereafter recited as typicalof a practical jointing assembly capable of easy erection to provide aairtight and stable timbered building structure. The vertical width ofthe facing laminae 14 and 16 and 44 and 46 is preferably in the order of51/2 up to 71/2 inches. The assembly thickness of the three laminae oftimbers 10 and 40 is desirably 2% up to 313/16 inches. Preferably themedial laminae are thicker than the face laminae, in the order of ifi/1Uinch as compared with 2%2 inch.

l Other dimensions are indicated in FIGURES 2 and 3 by letters of thealphabet, as follows:

Inches A ifi/s B 2% C l/s D C E ifs F :.5 G "V16 H '-2 It will bereadily apparent that these dimensions may be varied to increase thetightness or the looseness or the joint as may be required toaccommodate variances in the moisture content of timbers, or withdifferent variable wood species that may be employed in making thetimber assembly, or to accommodate conditions arising as a result of theapplication of preservatives or pre-finishing and coating materials. Itshould also be apparent that allowances have been made for clearancebetween interfitting parts to insure that there is suitable undersize inmale-like members as regards the mating or matching female-like members.

It should also be understood that all milled surfaces are rightangularly arranged with respect to the longitudinal axis of the timbersand with respect to each other In other words, it has been foundunnecessary to include tapered surfaces since an entirely satisfactoryinterlitting is obtained by straight line movements without jamming ofthe parts as they are assembled. The intertted T-shaped end of thetimbers 40 into groove 30 of timbers 1t) insures the tightness andpermanence of the joint assembly between walls 6i) and 62. Theintertting tongues 1S and 41 into grooves 20 and 43 respectivelymaintain the vertical relationship. By reason of one unit beingsuperposed upon another, tight walls are the result.

In FIGURE l, to the right, is shown a second groove 31 which is usefulto assemble another wall parallel to wall 62. Such opposed wall may bean interior subdividing wall to form a room or it may be an opposedexterior wall. Similarly a building may be variously subdivided orpartitioned as a chosen design may require.

It will be observed that at the exterior corner of a timbered structureaccording to this invention,'there is no crossed relationship of thetimbers forming the two walls. Rather it is an abutting relationship ofone wall with respect to the other. This is considered to havesubstantial aesthetic value in the construction of timbered buildingstructure as herein.

By reason of the timbers as used herein being of laminated constructionwarpage and shrinkage practically never occur. This has obviated thenecessity of providing tapers that result in compaction of the jointssince they are fully compacted when first assembled and will remain so.

A complete structure may be assembled by providing a foundation or mainslab or other supporting surface. A tongue or cleat secured thereto inoutline of the desired oor arrangement is provided. The first course oftimbers is assembled on that initially provided tongue. Thereafter bysimply laying up timber courses successively, one on top of the other,and effecting the right angle tongueand-groove assemblies at the cornersor at the points ot' abutment of one wall with respect to another wall,the walls are quickly and easily erected from the ground or base up bypersons of relatively no skill, without the employment of fasteningdevices, and with speed and simplicity.

What is claimed is:

1. A timbered building structure, comprising:

a first plurality of courses of elongate timbers arranged.

one upon the other, to form an upright first wall;

a second plurality of courses of elongate timbers nrranged, one upon theother, to form an upright second wall in right angular abutting relationto said rst Wall;

each of said timbers being formed of three laminae and having a mediallylocated longitudinal groove on one edge and an opposed medially locatedlongitudinal tongue on its other edge, the tongues and grooves ofsuperposed timbers in each of said Walls being interfitted;

said first and second Walls meeting in said right angular relation sothat the first Wall crosses the edge of the second wall and the lines ofintert of the timber courses in one Wall are co-planar with lines ofinterit of the timber courses of the other Wall;

said rst wall having a Vertical, uniform, T-shaped groove extending frombottom to top and open at one side toward said abutting second wall, theenlarged portion of said groove being located Wholly to include theparting line between the medial lamina of each of said timbers and oneof the outer lamina; and

said second Wall having a vertical uniform T-shaped tongue extendingbetween its bottom and top and intertted in said groove.

2. The structure according to claim 1 in which at the sides of theentrance to the T-shaped groove, the timber faces are verticallyrabbetted and the T-shaped tongues are proportioned and shaped to fitinto and ll said rabbets.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary ExaminerPRCE C. FAW, JR., Assistant Examiner U5. C1. X.R. 52-284, 593

